Area emergency medical personnel train with high tech lifelike mannequins

VMSC paramedics David Chadwick, left, and Shannon Pasquale undergo a skills training session with a high fidelity simulator Thursday at VMSC headquarters in Hatfield Township. At right is VMSC deputy director Eric Myers. (The Reporter/Geoff Patton) Follow on Twitter @GeoffPatton

Emergency medical personnel from Abington Health Lansdale Hospital, JeffSTAT, and VMSC all had an opportunity for a skills review session with high-tech simulators on Thursday. Click HERE for PHOTO GALLERY

Air Methods, a medical transport company that supplies the medical helicopter flown by JeffSTAT and based in Lansdale, supplied several human patient mannequins for training scenarios. Known as hi-fidelity simulators, the life size and lifelike devices not only look human, they behave like a human being when controlled remotely by an operator in an adjacent work station. For the participants it’s like working in a medical emergency setting on a real patient that breathes, blinks, and has an actual pulse.

Housed in a trailer, the mobile unit with the mannequins and associated equipment travels the country. During its stop at VMSC headquarters in Hatfield Township, approximately 150 people in the emergency medical field had a skills session with one of the high fidelity “patients.”